Technology
Microsoft introduces more ads in Outlook app on iOS and Android
According to the latest report, in recent months, Microsoft has begun to place more ads in the Outlook mobile app for iOS and Android. The Outlook mobile app offers users two options for organizing their inboxes: a single inbox that contains all of their messages, and a tabbed inbox that divides messages into two categories, “Focused” – containing Important Mail, and “Other” – everything else.
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Microsoft previously only served ads in the “Other” tab of free users, but now the company is starting to add ads to the single inbox model. The change came a few months ago and means Microsoft is making it harder for free users to evade ads on Outlook phones. No matter which inbox mode you use, there will be ads, either at the top of the “Other” tab or at the top of your regular inbox and the only way to avoid ads in the Outlook App right now is to pay for a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Confirming the change to The Verge, Microsoft spokeswoman Caitlin Roulston said in a statement: “For free users of Outlook, the ad is displayed in their inbox, if they want only in the ‘other’ inbox When they see an ad, they can opt-in to the ‘Focused inbox’ feature.”
The ads appear at the top of the inbox and look like a real email, similar to how Microsoft and Google display ads in the web versions of Outlook and Gmail. Users can swipe to remove email-like ads, but they quickly reappear, and opening the ad shows the ad content in the in-app browser.
No one likes ads, and Microsoft’s practice has caused dissatisfaction among many users, and Outlook users have left many one-star reviews for the app on Apple’s App Store. Some people on Twitter and Reddit also expressed dismay at the more ads in Outlook mobile, but the only way to avoid ads entirely right now is to subscribe to Microsoft 365.